Questions about a new PC build

[Sinistarr]

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

-Everything - surfing, gaming, reencoding music/video, etc.

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

-Keeping everything under $3k (including a 27" monitor - if I get one right away) is a tenative goal.

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

-USA - Baltimore, MD. A Microcenter just opened up nearby around Thanksgiving.

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
-RAM
-Video card(s)
-HDDs
-SSD
-Power Supply
-CPU Cooler
-Case fans
-SATA cables
-Monitor (possibly 1-3 months down the road if not immediately)

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

-Monitor (for now) and an external hard drive or 2, just for moving/backing up data, is about it. This is a brand-new build from scratch.

6) Will you be overclocking?

-That's the goal. Will need to study up on how to do so safely, but I'm planning on doing so.

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

-My monitor is currently a 22 inch Westinghouse - nothing special. I bought it when my old CRT monitor died a few years back and I needed a cheap replacement.

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

-I guess "ASAP" isn't very specific, so 1-2 weeks is ideal.

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.

-SATA 6Gb, onboard audio w/ digital out, SLI/Crossfire, USB 3 (I guess).

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

OS (Windows 7) is taken care of.


Here's what I've bashed up so far:

Corsair Obsidian Series 550D Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Obsidian-Black-Computer-CC-9011015-WW/dp/B006L6ZSWC/

ASUS P9X79 LE LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with USB BIOS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131855

MSI N680GTX Twin Frozr 4GD5/OC GeForce GTX 680 4GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127695 [1 or 2, haven't decided yet]

CORSAIR Vengeance 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model CMZ32GX3M4A1600C9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233303

Seagate Barracuda STBD3000100 3TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148907 [3 of these]

CORSAIR Hydro Series H100i Water Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181032

I already have the CPU in hand (3930K - was on sale at Microcenter Black Friday weekend for $400, so I jumped on it), so that's already been budgeted.

I'm not married to the case, mobo or RAM. I like the case in that it has room for the H100, has room for a good number of other fans, can do 6 HDDs/SSDs, has room for 1-2 ODDs and a card reader and is not incredibly ostentacious looking. I'm not a huge fan of the door but it looks like it can be removed...?

Notes:

-I know a 680 or two is overkill for a 22" monitor. I'm planning on getting a new monitor setup but haven't decided on the specifics yet. I am considering either a new 30" monitor (2560x1440), possibly with the current 22" as a secondary, or 2-3 24" or 27" (1080P) monitors. For the time being, due to my space situation being a little limiting, I will be using the 22" I currently have or getting a 27" 1080P monitor/TV/whatever.

-Is the Twin Frozr-style GPU fan much better than the standard style cooler? If so, I can wait for Newegg to get the MSI back in stock - checked Amazon and they've got crackbaby pricing going on - no thanks.

-RAM: I know 32GB is overkill for gaming, but I do have use for the extra RAM and it's fairly cheap so, why not? How difficult is overclocking RAM to higher speeds that the motherboard allows? Is it even worth the effort (any real performance gain)?

-SSD: Pretty much a newb to SSDs - haven't really upgraded my current PC since I built in in '07. I'm looking for a good-performing 240/256GB model. Is $200-250 a reasonable range to expect for one (certainly, cheaper is always nicer)?

-ODD: I will be ordering a Blu-ray/HD-DVD reader/DVD burner off eBay. Yes, I still have HD-DVDs. I might get a Blu-ray burner down the road if I feel the need for one.

-Thermal Paste: Out of the loop here - is Arctic Silver still a/the standard or is there a new hotness?

-Is there any point to a discrete soundcard nowadays? Do they offer better performance or better positional sound than EAX/OpenAL/whatever the integrated sound offers? I have an external DAC and headphone amp (Schiit Bifrost and Valhalla), so if the integrated chipsets can do it all, I don't think I need a discrete soundcard.

-Relating to sound, can integrated audio chipsets pass full lossless surround-sound audio streams to the video card to be piped out over HDMI? I'm thinking of building an HTPC within the next 6 months and will probably hook the new PC up to the TV at least once just to experiment to see what can bee done, hardware- and software-wise.

-Need advice on fans, both for the CPU cooler and case. If the stock fans are crap, I'm willing to spend a few extra bucks for better ones (more airflow and/or quieter).

I think that covers all the bases, maybe a little too well. If any of these questions need to be directed elsewhere, let me know and I'll do so.

Thanks for any advice anyone can offer.

 

[DejaWiz]

I would suggest you save yourself gobs of money and stick with a Z77 + i5-3570K/i7-3770K for a gaming system. There's really no point in going with a hex core unless you frequently run applications that can take full advantage of the extra physical cores.

That being said:

CASE
Corsair 400R, 500R, or 550D
$90 - 140

PSU
Corsair AX750
$145

MOBO
Asus Sabertooth Z77
$230

CPU
i5-3570K or i7-3770K
$215 - $320

RAM
Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR3-1600 1.5V 8GB (2x4) or 16GB (2x8)
$44 - 83

GPU
MSI GTX 670 TwinFrozr x2 (SLI)
$720

SSD
Plextor M5P 512GB
$460

HDD
Seagate ES 1TB
$120

MON
Asus VG278h 27" 120Hz
$600

TOTAL: $2820

(all prices are from Newegg... check for combo deals and compare prices with your local MC)

If you do want to go for the 4GB 680's, then you can do some tweaking like eliminate the spindle HDD, or keep it and downsize the SSD to 128-256GB.


And for your questions:

-Thermal Paste: Out of the loop here - is Arctic Silver still a/the standard or is there a new hotness?

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Thermal-Compound-Roundup-February-2012/1490

-Is there any point to a discrete soundcard nowadays? Do they offer better performance or better positional sound than EAX/OpenAL/whatever the integrated sound offers? I have an external DAC and headphone amp (Schiit Bifrost and Valhalla), so if the integrated chipsets can do it all, I don't think I need a discrete soundcard.

Some people prefer them. I used to, but onboard nowadays works perfectly fine for my needs (5.1 gaming, occassional movie from DVD)

-Relating to sound, can integrated audio chipsets pass full lossless surround-sound audio streams to the video card to be piped out over HDMI? I'm thinking of building an HTPC within the next 6 months and will probably hook the new PC up to the TV at least once just to experiment to see what can bee done, hardware- and software-wise.

Not sure on this one, I've never tried it. I'm sure someone will chime in.

-Need advice on fans, both for the CPU cooler and case. If the stock fans are crap, I'm willing to spend a few extra bucks for better ones (more airflow and/or quieter).

I use Artic Cooling 120mm PWM fans for my case. Suitable for a CPU cooler, as well. I've got a Xigmatech Dark Knight with stock fan on my 3770K and a Cooler Master Hyper212+ with stock fan on a 2500K build I did a while back...both are perfectly acceptable for capability and tolerable noise, to my ears anyway.

 

[Dangman]

I already have the CPU in hand (3930K - was on sale at Microcenter Black Friday weekend for $400, so I jumped on it), so that's already been budgeted.

Hmmm, probably too late to return it then? If so, let's make the best of things:

ASUS P9X79 LE LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with USB BIOS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131855

Relatively new and not exactly widely used. I'd spend the extra cash for the more widely used Asus Sabertooth X79 instead.

CORSAIR Vengeance 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model CMZ32GX3M4A1600C9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233303

A tad overpriced. I recommend getting two of this set of RAM instead:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231609

Seagate Barracuda STBD3000100 3TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148907 [3 of these]

Are you planning on using RAID 5?

-Is the Twin Frozr-style GPU fan much better than the standard style cooler? If so, I can wait for Newegg to get the MSI back in stock - checked Amazon and they've got crackbaby pricing going on - no thanks.

It is quieter and does coolg better than the standard style cooler.

-RAM: I know 32GB is overkill for gaming, but I do have use for the extra RAM and it's fairly cheap so, why not? How difficult is overclocking RAM to higher speeds that the motherboard allows? Is it even worth the effort (any real performance gain)?

Overclocking the RAM is not worth the efffort. In fact, you actually wouldn't notice a performance difference between DDR3 1600 and DDR3 1333 RAM in real world performance. Hell there's not even a noticeable performance difference between DDR3 1333 and DDR3 2133. So yeah RAM overclocking is not needed at all these days.

-SSD: Pretty much a newb to SSDs - haven't really upgraded my current PC since I built in in '07. I'm looking for a good-performing 240/256GB model. Is $200-250 a reasonable range to expect for one (certainly, cheaper is always nicer)?

Yes. I recommend the Crucial M4 series, Plextor M5P series, or Samsung 840 series SSDs.

-Is there any point to a discrete soundcard nowadays? Do they offer better performance or better positional sound than EAX/OpenAL/whatever the integrated sound offers? I have an external DAC and headphone amp (Schiit Bifrost and Valhalla), so if the integrated chipsets can do it all, I don't think I need a discrete soundcard.

Gaming performance or even everyday performance, no. Audio quality, largely dependent on how much of an audiophile you really are. Just try out the onboard sound first and then decide whether or not it's good enough for you.

-Relating to sound, can integrated audio chipsets pass full lossless surround-sound audio streams to the video card to be piped out over HDMI? I'm thinking of building an HTPC within the next 6 months and will probably hook the new PC up to the TV at least once just to experiment to see what can bee done, hardware- and software-wise.

Yes.