New build for rhouck

[rhouck]

Sorry for the huge amount of these recently, but I am finally ready for an upgrade and I am COMPLETELY out of the loop.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Work (word/excel/etc) and iRacing (and maybe other racing games). I just bought a new wheel/pedals so will need whatever it takes to run that smoothly

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

No set budget, but no need to go overboard as I will only be playing a racing game or two.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

Los Angeles, CA. So tax on Newegg but I could drive to Microcenter for an amazing deal (though it would be a bit in gas).

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
Motherboard
RAM
Power supply
Video card

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi (I also have a Fractal Design Define R3 I could swap)
HD: SanDisk Extreme SDSSDX-120G-G25 2.5" 120GB

6) Will you be overclocking?

I have in the past. Interested only in air and low noise is prioritized over high speed.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

Current is 24" 1920x1200. But interested in buying 27" 2560x1440 so would like to plan for that (I know it's a big difference)

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

ASAP

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.

Nothing fancy. Onboard video would be a nice backup but not 100% needed.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Yes. Windows 7 64bit.

 

[Dangman]

Here's a prelim setup:
$220 - Intel Core i5-2500K CPU
$140 - Asus P8Z77-V L Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard
$40 - Corsair CMV8GX3M2A1333C9 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$350 - Asus HD7870-DC2-2GD5 Radeon HD 7870 2Gb PCI-E Video Card
$90 - Corsair 650TX V2 650W PSU
$25 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
---
Total: $865 shipped

I went with Amazon.com as much as possible since they do not charge CA residents tax.

 

[Hagrid]

Here's a prelim setup:
$220 - Intel Core i5-2500K CPU
$140 - Asus P8Z77-V L Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard
$40 - Corsair CMV8GX3M2A1333C9 4 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$350 - Asus HD7870-DC2-2GD5 Radeon HD 7870 2Gb PCI-E Video Card
$90 - Corsair 650TX V2 650W PSU
$25 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
---
Total: $865 shipped

I went with Amazon.com as much as possible since they do not charge CA residents tax.

Id go for 2 x 4 or 4 x 4 sticks.

 

[Dangman]

Id go for 2 x 4 or 4 x 4 sticks.

Crap forgot to fix that mistake: The RAM set I linked to is a 2 x 4GB set. I just listed it wrong. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[rhouck]

I went with Amazon.com as much as possible since they do not charge CA residents tax.

I'll add that I do have a Prime account (I spend a LOT on Amazon ), so Amazon recommendations are great.

Also, I am about 4 gallons of gas (~$18) and 1.5 hrs round trip from a Microcenter.

 

[Dangman]

But you'll probably be at MC for an hour or so waiting in line for the register, browsing around, or waiting to be served. Not to mention that there's the possibility of traffic (You are in SoCal after all). So you'd end spending 2 and half hours shopping at and driving to and from MC. And thats assuming that there's no traffic or extremely long lines at checkout or you get distracted with the wonderful sights .

With the cost of tax and gas plus the same CPU and mobo I recommended, you're looking at roughly $50 in savings by buying from MC over Amazon.com. But again that's assuming no traffic which means higher gas cost. Up to you if the possibility of $50 in savings is worth spending close to 2.5 hours of your day to do so.

 

[rhouck]

^ definitely, I should have said just in travel time (with no travel, which is a pipe dream). Tax added on top really makes it not worth the time for $50 or less.

Re the power supply -- is the only difference between the "modular" and "enthusiast" series the modular power cables? If so, I may spend the extra $10 for modular (I am terrible with cable management)

And no reason to wait a few days and see if prices are affected by Ivy (or if Ivy is on sale at MC)? It sounds like the reviews haven't been favorable and I have no need to be on the bleeding edge, just curious..

 

[E4g1e]

Re the power supply -- is the only difference between the "modular" and "enthusiast" series the modular power cables? If so, I may spend the extra $10 for modular (I am terrible with cable management)

Actually, the Modular series is of lower quality than the Enthusiast series (if you're mentioning the TX-M series from Corsair, which is based on a completely different platform from the TX v2 series). Worse, the TX-M series has only a couple of cables that are modular, and most of the others (including some with connectors that you may never use) permanently hardwired to the unit. With Corsair, you really need to go to the Professional series (HX and AX lines) in order to get a modular PSU from Corsair that equals or exceeds the performance and quality of the Enthusiast (TX v2 non-modular) line.

 

[rhouck]

Actually, the Modular series is of lower quality than the Enthusiast series (if you're mentioning the TX-M series from Corsair, which is based on a completely different platform from the TX v2 series). Worse, the TX-M series has only a couple of cables that are modular, and most of the others (including some with connectors that you may never use) permanently hardwired to the unit. With Corsair, you really need to go to the Professional series (HX and AX lines) in order to get a modular PSU from Corsair that equals or exceeds the performance and quality of the Enthusiast (TX v2 non-modular) line.

Thanks! I was just looking at the TX650M since it was on the same Amazon page linked above. Good to know that is not even worth the minor price increase! Bizarre and misleading, glad I asked.

 

[E4g1e]

Thanks! I was just looking at the TX650M since it was on the same Amazon page linked above. Good to know that is not even worth the minor price increase! Bizarre and misleading, glad I asked.

Yep. They had to cut corners just to bring you only a partially modular PSU for a few dollars more than the TX v2.

Now Antec, on the other hand, does offer both modular and non-modular versions of its High Current Gamer series PSUs up to 620W. The modular version of the HCG series is almost completely modular (only the ATX and EPS +12V power cables are hardwired), yet either costs the same or a few dollars more than the non-modular versions - and they both come from the same actual manufacturer (SeaSonic, which also manufactures the TX v2 series for Corsair). The Corsair TX-M series PSUs, on the other hand, are not only completely different (and inferior-quality) to the TX v2 series, but are manufactured by a different company altogether - CWT. The platform used in the TX-M series appears to be a modified PSH-II platform. (Most of Corsair's current HX series PSUs are also made by CWT - but are based on that company's higher-end platform, the DSG.)

 

[rhouck]

Going to try and pull the trigger on all this next week. Should I wait until the 29th(?) and just get a 3570k? My understanding is it will the same price as the 2500k now...

If so, motherboard stays the same still?

(I promise I won't second guess anything else Thank you for the assistance!)

 

[Dangman]

If you can't wait 3 days and/or want a higher chance of getting a 5Ghz OC, go for the 2500K. Otherwise, go for the 3570K. Motherboard stays the same.

 

[rhouck]

If you can't wait 3 days and/or want a higher chance of getting a 5Ghz OC, go for the 2500K. Otherwise, go for the 3570K. Motherboard stays the same.

Perfect, thanks! I can wait 3 days ("ASAP" was more about not looking 6 months out... ) and lower volts/lower OC is fine for my goals and realistic usage. If I can get a good price on the 3570K, I'll pick one up next week.

 

[rhouck]

FYI, final build came out to:
i5-3570k (have a 2500k too that I need to return to Amazon...)
CM Hyper 212+
Corsair TX750
Asus P8Z77-V LX
Kingston Hyper-X 1600 8gb
Sapphire 7950 OC 3gb
SanDisk Extreme 120gb SSD
Fractal Design R3 case
and three Dell U2412M

Working on overclocking the build a little (did a quick conservative 4.2); not sure how much time I'll take to actually tweak it higher. The computer runs very quiet, stable, and is exceptionally quick compared to my old setup!

Thanks again for the help with the build!