New PC Build

Ketron

Hi all,

I'm considering about building a pc for myself, it will be used for work and while I'm at it gaming as well. I operate a lot of VMs so a lot of ram is a must, i do a fair bit of programming (S7) so a decent processor is the same, I'd like to spend a fair bit and hopefully it will see me through a few years, want a monster! These are the components I am considering any advice would be greatly appreciated

Corsair 550D case (Sound proofing and lack of tacky LEDs is a draw)
Corsair Hydro 80 (Plus Arctic Silver)+ (Antec 120mm fans x2)
Intel I7 3770K (Would like to overclock)
ASUS P8Z77-V PRO
OCZ Thermaltake 750W
Kingston HyperX Genesis - 16GB 2133MHz
Western Digital Cavair Green 2tb (Have a 120gb samsung 830)
ASUS GeForce GTX670-DC2-4GD---(Is the 4gb worth it?)
ASUS DRW 24B5ST (Optical Drive wouldn't be a priority at all)

I've searched elara, pixmania pro, and komplett seem to be the best priced for the components I'm after...would I be right on this? The total cost is a shade under 1300 ex VAT which is my budget.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance

Just copped the board advice thread so I'll fill it in now:
1. What is your budget? [€1300ish ex vat]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Gaming/programming/internet]

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [No]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [No}

5. Do you need a monitor? [No]

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? [1920x1080/1440x900/etc.] [No]

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [No}

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [Yes]

8. How can you pay? [Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Laser]

9. When are you purchasing? [Havent decided]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [No]

Serephucus

This build is from Hardwareversand.de. They're based in Germany and (as below shows) are quite a bit cheaper than anywhere in Ireland.

So the build:

Item|Price
Corsair Obsidian Series 550D, ATX, ohne Netzteil|€124.69
Corsair Hydro Series H100i|€109.99
Intel Core i7-3770K Box, LGA1155|€301.00
ASRock Z77 Extreme4, Sockel 1155, ATX|€127.04
Super-Flower SF550P14PE Golden King Modular 80plus Platinum 550W|€124.00
16GB-Kit Corsair Vengeance Low Profile schwarz PC3-12800U CL10-10-10-27|€64.11
WD Red RD1000S 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB|€114.90
EVGA GeForce GTX 670, 2048MB DDR5, PCI-Express|€344.39
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€1329.11

I swapped the CPU cooler for an updated version of its bigger brother. It comes with much better fans by default, and is a lower FPI (fins-per-inch) radiator. Both of these mean it'll run quite a bit quieter than the older H80. It being a double rad means you'll have to open the panel in the roof, but I think it would help to have two much lower spinning fans than to have two higher ones in the back and have the roof panel closed.

I went for a more reliable motherboard from a manufacturer with a proven track record. I actually use the same board myself. I haven't overclocked with it yet, as I haven't got everything together, but from everyone here it seems to be great.

I went with a much more efficient PSU. You'd only need 750W if you were planning on adding a second 670 down the line.

Cheaper RAM, as it doesn't do much of anything these days.

Better drive from WD. Their Red line actually use enterprise-grade components, and come with a three year warranty vs. the Green's two. They're meant for the home server crowd, and optimised for RAID. Basically a more reliable Green.

Last but not least, an EVGA 670. Simply because if you purchase an extended warranty with them (€16) within the first thirty days, you're eligible to step-up*, up to six months later. With the 700 series due for release around March next year, I think it might be something to consider. If you aren't concerned with future upgrades (and none of the applications you use take advantage of CUDA) sub in a 7950 Royal King from AMD. They're about 5% faster than 670s, and usually overclock better, particularly this model.

Hope that's helpful for you.


*EVGA's Step-Up program allows you to basically trade in your card for something better, and only pay the difference. Usually it's 90 days after purchase, but if you buy before the 21st of December, that timeline gets doubled.

Ketron

Thanks for the advice man,

I actually was considering the H80 because I thought the 240mm H100 would cause trouble fitting into that case, as in I'd lose some of the noise proofing. Looking at it now, you're dead right, scratch the H80.

Is the case justified? From what I've read its worth it?

I noticed you suggested 1600Mhz ram, is 2133Mhz not worth the extra few quid?

I was thinking the 750W PSU in case I decided to add another gpu or at least no matter what happens I could avoid purchasing another one. Better to spend a little extra rather than looking for another one later down the line, plus they are fairly efficient (80%?). Or if I stuck with my set up and decided to overclock would a 550 handle it?

With the HDD, no plans of RAID at the moment, but reliability definitely is a plus!

Are those prices plus VAT?!

Cheers dude.

Serephucus

Well it's a Corsair case, and it's got 2x120 fan mounts in the top, so I can't imagine a Corsair 2x120 radiator not fitting, I guess Google for it to be sure though.

I really love it. The only reason I didn't get something like it is because I run a dedicated watercooling loop, so I need room for quite a bit more radiator than can be fit in the case by default.

RAM makes basically zero difference. There's an updated Sandy/Ivy review somewhere, but I can't remember where it is. This an older one though, main points remain the same. Ivy is slightly better for memory, but the gains are just not worth the price. We're still talking within margin of error stuff, for the most part.

550W would leave you plenty of room for overclocking. I'm running a 600W Platinum with very similar specs to your machine, and I'm planning on throwing a 780 in it as well. (Specs in signature are out of date, only got the rig last week). This is what I'm using, if you're interested. Main reason I got it is because it's fan stays off up until about 50% load, and when it does spin up, it only reaches about 15dBA. If you do want to add a second GPU though, I'll look at a 700W PSU, just make sure it's 80+ Gold. Platinum is basically 90+ efficiency, for reference.

Figured, but I assumed you'd appreciate the reliability.

Those prices are at the 19% German VAT rate, AFAIK.