Thoughts on new build (before purchase)

S

silverinfinity

n00b
Joined
Apr 11, 2014
Messages
4
Doing a massive upgrade and looking for thoughts on what can maybe be improved, or selections made that should be reconsidered.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
- Primary use will be Gaming, with some video editing/encoding, Video server, some coding.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
- Targeting ~$2k, but flexible if worth it.

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

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, MB, processor + HSF, 1 SSD, 1+ HDD, Video card, power supply, memory, DVD burner, OS.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
- No internal parts will be reused. One SSD from old system (Sandisk Extreme 240) may be added later to separate OS/programs and Games.

6) Will you be overclocking?
- Stable air OC only.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
- One primary gaming at 1920x1200 (24"), one secondary for misc programs, reading at 1200x1920 (24"). May upgrade the primary gaming to 2560x1600 30" in the future.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
- Within a week or two, unless a compelling reason to wait.

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.
- Stability is #1. For future proofing, SLI support, 7x SATA ports (6 drivers, 1 dvd), USB3, Audio, backup video.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
- No, will be getting Win8.1 64Bit OEM.

Current Part list I have put together (and why I selected it)(will probably buy everything together on amazon.com):

Case: Corsair Obsidian 550D
- Silent running, sufficient room for HDD expansion.

OS: Win 8.1 64 OEM

MB: ASUS Z87-EXPERT
- Reviews of the Asus z87 series all look good. Previous ASUS boards have been reliable. Built in wireless means one less card to install.

CPU: I7-4770K
- Future proofing, Video/Encoding, Overclocking option.

HSF: Thermalright True Spirit 120
- Good cost for performance, offset tower for easy fitting of memories.

MEM: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (CMZ16GX3M2A1600C9)
- Chose C9 over cheaper C10 for slightly increased performance, as well as the assumption that higher performance will equal high quality/reliability.

SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB

HDD: WD 4TB Red
- Extra year warranty over green, assumption of higher reliability.

GPU: EVGA Geforce GTX770 Superclocked 2GB.
- Price / performance looks to be about what I think I will need.

PSU: Seasonic G-750
- Good reviews, reliability. Overhead for potential SLI config in the future or larger GPU.

DVD: Plextor PX-891SAW
- Some reviews mentioned as a high reliable.

I am targeting to have this system last 5+ years with a graphics upgrade at some point (~ year 3 maybe).
 
*shrug* on the RAM selection. Lower timings will most likely be a performance gain too negligible to measure, and it really has no relation to quality/reliability from what I've experienced. Price difference is like, what... $10? Probably doesn't matter as long you're getting what you want ;)

Beyond that, imo, pull the trigger and get it on! :D
 
Wait a second... The RAM has heat sinks that are so tall that they may interfere with the proper installation of the aftermarket CPU HSF. You see, more and more motherboards these days have their RAM slots extremely close to the CPU socket. What's more, most tower CPU HSFs have only roughly an inch and a half of clearance between the RAM slots and the bottom of the HSF's cooling fins. But that Vengeance RAM has heat sinks that are more than two inches tall.
 
E4g1e said:
Wait a second... The RAM has heat sinks that are so tall that they may interfere with the proper installation of the aftermarket CPU HSF. You see, more and more motherboards these days have their RAM slots extremely close to the CPU socket. What's more, most tower CPU HSFs have only roughly an inch and a half of clearance between the RAM slots and the bottom of the HSF's cooling fins. But that Vengeance RAM has heat sinks that are more than two inches tall.
Click to expand...

The unit OP linked to "leans" to avoid that issue. It was my first thought as well but it looks like that HS choice will probably be ok :cool:
 
The build is solid overall although the GTX 770 may have some trouble in the future with a monitor upgrade. The Thermalright looks like a great cooler for the price.

There was a thread not too long ago here about how Corsair falsely advertised the specs on their Vengence RAM, combining the low JEDEC CL with the high XMP frequency so that the actual XMP settings did not reflect advertised speeds without additional OCing. For this reason alone, I'm wary of Corsair's Vengence line since I think it's unacceptable for XMP to not even hit advertised specs.

There are plenty of equally specced RAM kits out there for a similar price so I'd just get one that looks good with the Asus board like these Teams.

edit: Here is the discussion on the Vengeance RAM. My view is that the OP has a very valid point. XMP should run at advertised spec at the very least.
 
Even if we ignore the heatsink issue on that RAM, there's still the issue of price; You can get two of this Kingston 8GB RAM for $110 right now:
$110 - 2 x Kingston HyperX Blu KHX1600C10D3B1/8G 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM

No way are the Corsair's lower timings worth a $45 increase.

As for the rest of the parts:
While the Asus Z87-EXPERT is a good motherboard, it's not a good motherboard for the money. I would go for this mobo + wifi combo instead:
$159 - Asus Z87-Plus Intel Z87 Motherboard
$30 - Asus PCE-N15 Wireless Adapter
----
Total: $189

Roughly $43 cheaper but a safer route in the sense that if the wifi dies (and it will eventually), you don't have to send back the whole mobo.

As for the DVD burner, dude, you're spending too much: DVD burners are essentially commodity items now and basically share the same manufacturers these days. In other words, no matter how much you spend, that $40 DVD burner has the same survival chances as a $20 DVD burner. So you're better off getting the cheapest DVD burner you can find.

As for the hard drive, according to this BackBlaze blog, you're going to want this Hitachi 4TB drive instead:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0084JFLUS/?tag=extension-kb-20
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
@Dangman
Thanks for the MB suggestion. After comparing the specs on the two asus boards, I am not sure why I previously chose the expert over the Plus. I agree, seperate wifi is the smarter path.

For the memories, I saw the Kingston individual modules, but when you look at the dual kit option, the price jumps to $135 (about the same as the corsair cl10 set). Is buying matched sets of memory no longer a recommended requirement (or is the performance gain negligible for the price)?

If matched does matter, the Team Vulcan from Newegg look like the best option.
 
silverinfinity said:
For the memories, I saw the Kingston individual modules, but when you look at the dual kit option, the price jumps to $135 (about the same as the corsair cl10 set). Is buying matched sets of memory no longer a recommended requirement (or is the performance gain negligible for the price)?

If matched does matter, the Team Vulcan from Newegg look like the best option.
Click to expand...
Matched RAM really doesn't matter these days IME. So I would still recommend getting two of that Kingston RAM before it jumps back up in price.

For RAM manufacturers, I tend to stick to more reputable brands like Kingston, Corsair, G.Skill, Patriot, etc. Team Vulcan doesn't seem like a reputable brand.
 
Teamgroup has actually been around for a long time and have put out solid memory products for years. Vulcan is the model name. I'd consider them one of the trusted brands.

Hell, unless it's Dominators, I'd take Team over Corsair any day.
 
Last edited:
I agree on the Kingston memory it has a lifetime warranty and Puget Systems uses it almost exclusively.

A drawback to buying a memory kit is if and one modules goes bad you have to RMA the whole kit and could be left without any memory.

The firmware in the WD Red is intended for RAID applications, if you're running a single drive pick something else.
 
With your budget and desire to either eventually go sli and or a 30" monitor I would consider looking at the 4gb video card options either nvidia or amd. The 290x has been dropping in price and I think was 499 at the egg a few days ago.
 
BTW, Corsair vengeance RAM and ASUS motherboards seem to not like each other, but I could be wrong.

Might want to check the ASUS official RAM Qualified List here
 
Thanks for the feedback. I will be going with a couple of the kingston memories.

I am not too worried about running a 30" on the gtx770. Buy the time I do upgrade (if that is the choice then), I will probably upgrade the video card as well to something better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top