Tax return! New build time!

[TheBigBlueBox]

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

Gaming (Civ5, ME2/3, DA2, ES5, new games for the next year or so), as well as web browsing, video streaming, some light video editing

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

$900 w/o shipping

3) Where do you live?

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, mobo, CPU, PSU, video card, HDD, RAM, OS

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

DVD burner, monitor, mouse and keyboard

6) Will you be overclocking?

Maybe in the future, but not right now

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?

using 1080p LCD for gaming, 19" LCD at 1280x1024 for everyday computing

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

Now! ASAP

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc.

reliability is the most important thing, USB 3.0 would be nice.

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

Nope, need OS

Here's What I propose to get so far:

Coolermaster CM 690 II Advanced case $89.99
OCZ StealthXStream 2 600W PSU $73.99
Gigabyte P55-USB3 $119.99
Intel Core i5-760 $209.99
4GB Crucial Ballistix PC12800 2x2GB $62.99
Asus HD6850 DirectCU $179.99
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB $64.99
Windows 7 Home Premium $99.99

total: $901.92 before shipping and MIRs

First of all I decided NOT to go with Sandy Bridge at this time as I'm not comfortable with early adoption of new technology especially considering the recall and other stability problems I've been reading about..

Just some reasoning behind some of the parts that I've chose:

I absolutely love the CM 690 II case... I really need a case with good cable management and tool-less drive and card mounting and this seems to be the best buy out there. I was also looking at the HAF 912 to save some money but I like that this comes with 3 fans pre-installed and a complete tool-less design.

I know there's a lot of hate for OCZ PSUs out there, but this particular unit got some great reviews (http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/OCZ-StealthXStream-2-600-W-Power-Supply-Review/1058). I know most people prefer Antec or Corsair but I can't ignore the good reviews.

I'm not sure about that ASUS HD6850, but the reviews seem good, the cooler looks impressive and the reviews mention decent room for OCing plus the price is great.

So what do you think?

 

[E4g1e]

Actually, that OCZ PSU costs too much money for its performance and quality. Especially since it is an FSP Epsilon II-based design that is slightly better than the original Epsilon platform (though still rather mediocre). In other words, it is not worth $74 shipped. I would not pay more than about $55 to $60 for that particular PSU.

Second, the RAM that you chose costs too much money for just 4GB - about $20 more than our "recommended" modules. Plus, 8-8-8 shows absolutely no performance improvement over 9-9-9 at this speed, even in benchmarks (remember, Intel IMCs work better at odd-numbered CAS latency timings than at even-numbered CAS latency timings).

Third, I think you paid a bit too much for the mobo and CPU combined since it appears that you did not take any advantage of Newegg's combo deals.

 

[TheBigBlueBox]

Actually, that OCZ PSU costs too much money for its performance and quality. Especially since it is an FSP Epsilon II-based design that is slightly better than the original Epsilon platform (though still rather mediocre). In other words, it is not worth $74 shipped. I would not pay more than about $55 to $60 for that particular PSU.

I don't know... I was rather impressed when the hardwaresecrets review mentioned that it could pull over 700W out of the PSU without it shutting down or the efficiency going below 80%... and also that it could have qualified for 80plus bronze. I guess I could go with the Seasonic s12II but as far as reviews are concerned the OCZ seems better...

Second, the RAM that you chose costs too much money for just 4GB - about $20 more than our "recommended" modules. Plus, 8-8-8 shows absolutely no performance improvement over 9-9-9 at this speed, even in benchmarks (remember, Intel IMCs work better at odd-numbered CAS latency timings than at even-numbered CAS latency timings).

I guess I just like crucial, I've used them in the past quite a bit. I really didn't know anything about the memory timings. I'm more concerned about reliability then anything else.

Third, I think you paid a bit too much for the mobo and CPU combined since it appears that you did not take any advantage of Newegg's combo deals.

I didn't see any combos that made any difference... at least not today...

 

[J Macker]

Here's What I got so far... snip

You already bought your parts? why are you posting a thread asking for input then?

 

[TheBigBlueBox]

You already bought your parts? why are you posting a thread asking for input then?

No I didn't already buy my parts... sorry for the confusion... That's my PROPOSED build lol...

 

[J Macker]

The Spinpoint F4 2TB drives frequently go on sale for $80; much better value and comperable performance to the F3's.

Also, why'd you pick a P55 board instead of a P55A?

 

[E4g1e]

I don't know... I was rather impressed when the hardwaresecrets review mentioned that it could pull over 700W out of the PSU without it shutting down or the efficiency going below 80%... and also that it could have qualified for 80plus bronze. I guess I could go with the Seasonic s12II but as far as reviews are concerned the OCZ seems better...

There is the problem: You have found only one professional (as opposed to user) review for that PSU. In other words, there are not enough professional reviews of that PSU out there to judge the overall performance and/or quality. (There are plenty of professional reviews of its predecessor, the StealthXStream series, which indeed had major out-of-spec ripple problems at just over 500W.)

The P55A series motherboards add an onboard SATA 6.0 Gbps controller from Marvell. The GA-P55-USB3 has no onboard SATA 6.0 Gbps controller but does have an onboard USB 3.0 controller with two rear-panel USB 3.0 ports.

 

[TheBigBlueBox]

The Spinpoint F4 2TB drives frequently go on sale for $80; much better value and comperable performance to the F3's.

Also, why'd you pick a P55 board instead of a P55A?

I really don't need 2 TB right now... I have a 2TB external plus a 750 and 2 500GB externals as well.

I picked the P55 board because the P55A UD3 was $20 more... If there is a difference, I really don't see it...

 

[TheBigBlueBox]

There is the problem: You have found only one professional (as opposed to user) review for that PSU. In other words, there are not enough professional reviews of that PSU out there to judge the overall performance and/or quality. (There are plenty of professional reviews of its predecessor, the StealthXStream series, which indeed had major out-of-spec ripple problems at just over 500W.)

other reviews:

http://www.guru3d.com/article/ocz-stealthxstream-2-600w-review/

http://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/zardon/ocz-stealthxstream-2-600-w-power-supply-review/5/

http://www.overclockersonline.net/reviews/ocz-stealthxstream-2-600w-power-supply/6/

These reviews don't mention anything about ripple problems... and the above hardware secrets review dissects the PSU and shows exactly the differences between this and the older Stealthxstream...

 

[J Macker]

P55A has SATA 6.0

 

[E4g1e]

other reviews:

http://www.guru3d.com/article/ocz-stealthxstream-2-600w-review/

http://www.kitguru.net/components/power-supplies/zardon/ocz-stealthxstream-2-600-w-power-supply-review/5/

http://www.overclockersonline.net/reviews/ocz-stealthxstream-2-600w-power-supply/6/

These reviews don't mention anything about ripple problems... and the above hardware secrets review dissects the PSU and shows exactly the differences between this and the older Stealthxstream...

Actually, some of the above sites have very questionable reviews. In fact, some of them have been paid big bucks by OCZ to inflate the overall scores for that company's PSUs - and have also been known to have awarded "Gold" recommendations for PSUs that have clearly flunked testing at [H]ardOCP. There is a huge difference between a review that is properly done and a review that's a mere manipulation.

 

[J Macker]

The P55A series motherboards add an onboard SATA 6.0 Gbps controller from Marvell. The GA-P55-USB3 has no onboard SATA 6.0 Gbps controller but does have an onboard USB 3.0 controller with two rear-panel USB 3.0 ports.

I don't know why you quoted me; the lack of SATA 6.0 was the exact reason why I asked OP why he chose the P55 model instead of P55A.

 

[E4g1e]

I don't know why you quoted me; the lack of SATA 6.0 was the exact reason why I asked OP why he chose the P55 model instead of P55A.

My bad.

 

[TheBigBlueBox]

Actually, some of the above sites have very questionable reviews. In fact, some of them have been paid big bucks by OCZ to inflate the overall scores for that company's PSUs - and have also been known to have awarded "Gold" recommendations for PSUs that have clearly flunked testing at [H]ardOCP. There is a huge difference between a review that is properly done and a review that's a mere manipulation.

That's quite an accusation to make. I'm sure what you mention happens but you seem to think that HardOCP is the only trusted source for reviews? HardOCP hasn't reviewed that particular PSU. You would think if it was such a mediocre PSU that there would be at least one bad professional review, but I can't find one.

Again I could spend $10 more and get the S12II bronze 520W so maybe I'll look for some more input on the PSU from elsewhere before I buy.

 

[TheBigBlueBox]

I don't know why you quoted me; the lack of SATA 6.0 was the exact reason why I asked OP why he chose the P55 model instead of P55A.

I don't want to pay $20 more for a feature I (probably) don't need. Sata 6gb is only useful for SSDs and they are out of my price range right now.

 

[E4g1e]

That's quite an accusation to make. I'm sure what you mention happens but you seem to think that HardOCP is the only trusted source for reviews? HardOCP hasn't reviewed that particular PSU. You would think if it was such a mediocre PSU that there would be at least one bad professional review, but I can't find one.

I was mentioning other PSUs reviewed by those sites. The [H] has not yet reviewed any of the StealthXStream II series PSUs.

Also, some of those sites tested PSUs under unrealistically cold operating conditions - an internal operating temperature inside the PSU itself of no higher than 20°C/68°F. (The only way that you can achieve such a cold internal temp is if the ambient temperature is below 5°C/41°F.) Realistically, however, PSUs average a much higher 45°C/113°F to 50°C/122°F.

 

[TheBigBlueBox]

I was mentioning other PSUs reviewed by those sites. The [H] has not yet reviewed any of the StealthXStream II series PSUs.

Also, some of those sites tested PSUs under unrealistically cold operating conditions - an internal operating temperature inside the PSU itself of no higher than 20°C/68°F. (The only way that you can achieve such a cold internal temp is if the ambient temperature is below 5°C/41°F.) Realistically, however, PSUs average a much higher 45°C/113°F to 50°C/122°F.

Well the one review that I'm most impressed with (hardwaresecrets.com) tested the PSU under internal temps of 45-50C. The kitguru review mentioned that the room temp during testing was 25C.

I'm not going to continue to argue with you here. I'll wait for additional input though. I do like Seasonic as I have a Seasonic in my current build, so we shall see.

 

[E4g1e]

Well the one review that I'm most impressed with (hardwaresecrets.com) tested the PSU under internal temps of 45-50C. The kitguru review mentioned that the room temp during testing was 25C.

I'm not going to continue to argue with you here. I'll wait for additional input though. I do like Seasonic as I have a Seasonic in my current build, so we shall see.

Fair enough.

 

[Dangman]

Yeah I agree with E4g1e here: That OCZ PSU is not a good choice for the money. The ONE proper review you've found of it shows it to be an ok PSU. The problem is that there are significantly better quality PSUs in that price range:
$64 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$75 - Seasonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W PSU
$74 - Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W PSU (Will be in stock supposedly 5 days from now)
$80 - Antec Truepower New TP-650 650W PSU

All four of the above PSUs are Seasonic made BTW. So yeah, that OCZ PSU is simply not a good choice for the money. Unless there's a second proper review showing that OCZ PSU of being higher quality than the above Seasonics, there's no good reason to get that OCZ PSU.

Also agree with E4gle about the RAM: Both are really really overpriced. You can get 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM for $48 shipped:
$48 - G.Skill F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM

In fact the above G.Skill set is a far better choice due to the lower voltage which means a higher chance of actually hitting 4.2Ghz. The 1.65V rating of that Crucial RAM is actually the max RAM voltage allowed for Intel CPUs for long term longevity. Even then, lower voltage RAM would be a better choice in that regard. So yeah that Crucial RAM is simply not a good choice.

Case, GPU, CPU, OS, and Samsung F3 HDD seems fine to me.

 

[Direfox]

I'm going to echo the other guys about power supplies. Its hard for a lot of people to believe how much of a difference there is between a good power supply and a bad one, including a lot of reviewers. Jonnyguru and [H] are the only two places I know of that have the equipment to actually do a good power supply review. Read up on the process [H] uses and read some of the reviews Jonnyguru does. The vast majority of other reviews are going to check the voltage, efficiency, cables, etc., kind of like driving a SUV around a track and rating its performance from how well it handles at 70 mph. [H] and Jonnyguru know the quality of the components and they have the equipment to measure ripple, DC output quality, how well it does at normal, low voltage, maximum rated, etc etc.

The majority of people aren't going to have a problem with these cheaper PSU, but a lot will, especially if their stressing them. Every week there a couple threads with people trying to upgrade their computers (or troubleshoot them) but their PSU isn't handling it. And like Danny said, there is no reason not to buy a high quality PSU, the prices are very close.