Second Opinions on build

[vroom_skies]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
- Gaming, photoshop & general use.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
- Budget is sort of open at the moment. More just looking for a build that does what I need it to.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
- USA - Connecticut
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, GPU, Mobo, RAM, PSU, SSD, HDD, Case, etc
6) Will you be overclocking?
- Yes
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
- 2560x1600
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
When the parts are set.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
- Yes, Win 7 Pro 64


Here is a quick config to go off of.

- Intel 3770K:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501
- 2x MSI 680 TF:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127672
- Asus Sabertooth Z77 (full atx build):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131821
- Asus Maximus V Gene (M-ATX build):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131830
- SeaSonic Platinum 860:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151111
- Samsung 830 256:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147135
- Corsair Dominator 16GB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233253
- 3x Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148844
- Asus BW-12B1ST:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135252
- Corsair H80:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181016
- 3x Cougar CF-V12HPB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835553006

So there is the rough base config. Haven't decided on the case as of yet.
Thanks for all the insight in advance.

 

[E4g1e]

Please do not mention the word "h**kintosh" in these forums.

 

[vroom_skies]

My apologies, I didn't know that [H] had a gripe against it.

 

[Dangman]

My apologies, I didn't know that [H] had a gripe against it.

It's not a gripe: It's more of a "We don't want to get sued by Apple" deal.

Anyway as for the parts you chose:
- The Dominator RAM are a complete waste of money. You can get similar performing RAM for less:
$98 - Corsair Vengeance CML16GX3M4A1600C9B 4 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM

- Motherboard wise, the Asus Sabertooth Z77 is a good mobo. However, IMO, the Asus Sabertooth isn't worth the extra $40 over this Gigabyte:
$190 - Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard

As for mATX, the Asus Maximus V Gene is a good mobo and would only be worth getting if you were actually going to use a mATX case. However, considering that you're planning on using SLI, I do not recommend Asus Maximus V at all since there's no space between the two GPUs with any mATX motherboard. So if you're actually serious about the SLI setup, stick with an ATX setup for optimal cooling.

- Unless you're doing an etensive amount of photoshop, you would be just fine with the regular Core i5 3570K CPU.

Case wise, I recommend the following cases:
$100 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$115 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$120 - Lian Li PC-9F ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$150 - Silverstone TJ04B-EW ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$164 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$162 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$220 - Silverstone FT02S-W ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case
$270 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Full Tower ATX Case

 

[vroom_skies]

Thanks Danny, noted on all accounts.
My current case is a Antec P180 Mini and I love the case, but I do understand the limitations with sli in m-atx form factor. If I were to stick with this case I might go the 690 route instead. Though I haven't done any research on sli 680 vs the 690.

If I was to get the 690, would the Asus m-atx board be the best choice or no?

Quick question on memory. I've never been clear on if it is advantageous to go with lower timing ram (7 or so cas) or a higher frequency?

 

[Dangman]

If I was to get the 690, would the Asus m-atx board be the best choice or no?

Yes if you wanted a mATX setup. However I'm not sure if the 690 will fit inside the Antec P180 mini.

Quick question on memory. I've never been clear on if it is advantageous to go with lower timing ram (7 or so cas) or a higher frequency?

With current Intel platforms, it doesn't really matter. You would feel the same level of performance with CAS 9 DDR3 1333 RAM as you would with CAS 7 DDR3 1600 RAM. In other words, current Intel platforms do not benefit from lower timings or higher frequencies.

 

[vroom_skies]

The 690 is only a tad longer then the 6950 that is currently in there. You're right though, the cards wouldn't fit if you don't remove the hdd cage.

Thanks for the info on the ram. Say on a build where it would matter, what would the general consensus be?

 

[Dangman]

Say on a build where it would matter, what would the general consensus be?

General consensus on what?

 

[vroom_skies]

Ram timings vs frequencies.

 

[Dangman]

Ram timings vs frequencies.

We generally recommend CAS 9 DDR3 1333 or CAS 9 DDR3 1600 RAM depending on the budget.

 

[vroom_skies]

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear enough.
I'm talking about on a platform where you would see the differences from a lower cas latency or a higher frequency. So not on Ivy or Sandy Bridge, but on a setup where it would matter. I'm just trying to get a better understanding on it all.

 

[Dangman]

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear enough.
I'm talking about on a platform where you would see the differences from a lower cas latency or a higher frequency. So not on Ivy or Sandy Bridge, but on a setup where it would matter. I'm just trying to get a better understanding on it all.

IIRC, CAS latency really stopped being a major factor in Intel CPU performance when Intel's first Core 2 Duo CPUs and the Conroe platform were released back in 2006. However, up until the release of the second generation Core i series CPUs based on the Sandy Bridge architecture in 2011, RAM speed did matter when it came to overclocking. CPU speed was tied to RAM speed back then. In other words, the higher the RAM speed, the higher of an OC you could get. In general performance outside of overclocking however, RAM speed didn't matter too much back then either.

So if you're planning on overclocking a Core 2 Duo/Quad setup, Core i3 5xx, Core i5 7xx, Core i7 8xx, or Core i7 9xx setup, thats when higher speed RAM is really needed. With the IB and SB CPUs, RAM speed is no longer tied to CPU speed. Again latency stopped being a huge factor after the Pentium 4/D series IIRC.

Now unfortuantely not a lot of research, articles, or reviews have been done on AMD platforms and RAM speed. The last one I saw was about AMD's APUs and how the integrated GPU performed with higher speed RAM. There, it was shown that AMD APUs did benefit from high speed RAM like DDR3 1866. However, they didn't measure the actual CPU/system prformance with higher speed RAM. So when it comes to AMD's Bulldozer or even their old Phenom I and Phenom II CPUs, really not much data showing how CAS latency and RAM speed affects them.

 

[vroom_skies]

Awesome info.
That's exactly what I was looking for.

Thanks a bunch Danny.